Applying The Yamas & Niyamas To Everyday Life - by Julie Ela Grace

COURSE

Applying The Yamas & Niyamas To Everyday Life

With Julie Ela Grace

Would you like to live more joyfully, authentically and peacefully regardless of the situations or circumstances in your life? Would you like to cultivate better relationships with yourself, others and the planet? In this 10-day course, you will receive guideposts from ancient yogic wisdom to help you reduce stress, heal harmful patterns of thinking, and better unite your mind, body and spirit. Through studying the yamas and niyamas, the 10 ethical ideals at the foundation of yoga, you will plant seeds to facilitate powerful change in your daily interactions and better access mindsets of both compassion and gratitude. While ancient yogic philosophy might sound like potentially heavy course material, we will explore these ancient ideals in line with our modern ways of living and contextualize them using examples from our everyday interactions. Take this course to improve your general sense of wellbeing, find practical solutions for fostering inner peace, and better connect to yourself and all beings with joy, love, patience and gratitude.

StressStress & AnxietyHappinessHealth & HappinessMindfulnessGratitudeRelationshipsYogaSpiritualityConnectionCompassionMindfulness MeditationHinduismReligion

Meet your Teacher

Julie Ela Grace
Oxford, UK

Julie Ela Grace is a writer, painter, and yoga teacher with a passion for teaching and helping others to live more authentically and joyfully. Her own yoga practice began in 2004 when, at the age of nineteen, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and she realized a disconnect existed between her mind, body and spirit. Her yoga practice flourished after discovering Kripalu yoga, a style rooted in compassion and mindfulness. Julie regularly teaches yoga both online (including on Insight Timer) and in-person in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. Her writings can be found across multiple platforms online and in print. She is currently writing a book about wellness, grace, and resilience. She believes that some of her greatest teachers are dogs and this Earth.

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10 Days

7.1k students

5.0 stars

17 min / day

Stress

English

Lesson 1

Ahimsa: Nonviolence

In this first session, we gain a basic understanding of the yamas and niyamas, or the underpinnings of yogic philosophy. Then, we dive into the first yama of ahimsa, meaning "nonviolence" or "compassion" and we explore the ways that compassion can affect all of our intereactions--from interactions with ourselves to loved ones to strangers and to the Earth. We also look at the places in which violence or aggression might show up in our lives--from road rage to the way we speak to ourselves to the food on our plates to microaggressions towards loved ones. Through this session, we examine the roots of any tendencies we may have towards violence and how we might release some of our harbored frustrations. We will also discover and celebrate the ways in which we are already leading compassionate lifestyles and investigate how we might further embody compassion in our daily lives.

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Lesson 2

Satya: Truthfulness

This session is all about the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. We will explore the ways in which we might tell lies to ourselves and to others, and where those lies originate (in fear, in insecurities, in cultural stories about goodness or rightness), and we will then look at the ways our energy shifts when we tell the truth. The act of lying is often done as a protective mechanism, yet it only serves to burden us further, and keeps us from looking at the truths that can allow us to heal. In this session, we will come to see just how true the maxim, "The truth will set you free."

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Lesson 3

Asteya: Non-Stealing

While non-stealing might seem like a no-brainer to many taking this course, there are many ways in which we can steal that do not involve money or objects. We can steal time, energy, and the spotlight. We can even steal opportunities from ourselves--whether by self-sabatoging a loving relationship or a career goal. In this session, we will look truthfully at the ways in which we steal from ourselves and from others, and how we might approach the world with a mentality of abundance, rather than lack, so that we may go forward not only in an attitude of non-stealing, but also in an attitude of faith and gratitude.

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Lesson 4

Brahmacharya: Non-Excess

Brahmacharya is often interpreted as celibacy, though we will be interacting with this yama from a modern interpretation of non-excess. We often see excess express itself in our addictions to things like screens, food, sex, work, alcohol and drugs. Most individuals have some unhealthy habits or fixations, no matter how big or how small, which they use in excess in effort to avoid facing pain, boredom or other perceived negative emotions. In this session, we look to brahmacharya as a mechanism for highlighting parts of our lives that remain unhealed.

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Lesson 5

Aparigraha: Non-attachment

Often, the cultures in which we live can place emphasis on the appearance of things—the appearance of a relationship, the appearance of a home or how many possessions one has, or the appearance of self, whether in terms of physicality or talent or success. This type of pressure, both external and internal, can cause us to become fearful of loss, and therefore, possessive of certain aspects of our lives. Yet, this fear signifies a belief in lack and it is through that fear that we actually begin to miss out on the very things that we are afraid of losing. In exploring aparigraha, we will work to shift our mentality from that of lack to that of abundance. We will explore how gratitude for all that already exists in our lives can shift us from fearful, greedy mentalities to mentalities of generosity and contentment.

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Lesson 6

Saucha: Purity

For some, the notion of purity carries negative connotations - conjuring memories of dogmatic religions or images of beautiful, yet helpless, fairy tale princesses. It also signals potential judgement or rigidity, as if everything is either pure or impure. Yet, when exploring purity in this yogic context, we're going to look at the ways in which we might cleanse our everyday lives and practices--how we can live as our authentic selves and how we can live as if each action is an offering. So, in what ways do our purchases, our living spaces, our media consumption or our conversations with others affect us? How do they either cleanse or pollute us? What happens when we approach each day with a heart set on authenticity and love for ourselves and for others?

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Lesson 7

Santosha: Contentment

How often do you find yourself thinking about what you'll eat at your next meal, but then during the meal, you find yourself fantasizing about dessert, then, during dessert, thinking about a bath or your bed or a glass of wine or something other than what you're doing in that very moment? So often, we anticipate moments and then miss them when they arrive. Santosha, or contentment, is about living in the present. Santosha brings us to gratitude and to acceptance for our life in the present. This day focuses on strategies to bring us back to the present and increase the wellspring of our gratitude.

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Lesson 8

Tapas: Self-Discipline

The word Tapas is derived from the Sanskrit root "tap," which means "to burn." Tapas teaches us to follow our passions with discipline and courage, as well as to strive to be as healthy in mind, body and spirit as possible. While the word "discipline" may conjure feelings of fear or resistance, we can look to tapas as a fire that burns away the very fears it brings out. What scares you about following your passions? What stops you from having consistent practices that improve your wellbeing? Tapas allows us to expand into our full potential and live our most radiant lives.

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Lesson 9

Svadhyaya: Self-Study

What do you believe about human nature? How do you see the general state of the world? How quickly do you react to frustrations in anger? When do you experience unity or oneness with the universe? On this day, we're going to examine techniques that can help us better understand ourselves. Svadhyaya is all about self-study--both in terms of our mindless habits, as well as our inner world. By living an examined life, we can begin to discover the parts of ourselves that remain unhealed and then begin the crucial work of healing and unifying.

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Lesson 10

Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender

We leave Ishvara Pranidhana for the final day, because the work of surrender is some of the most challenging of all - and yet, it is also some of the most freeing. Often we seek to control our lives. We schedule. We over-schedule. We bastardize practices in effort to control our bodies. We stay in unhappy relationships. We try to be the people we believe we are supposed to be. Our ego does its best to keep everything in check so that we can believe that we are in control. Today, we look at what we clutch, what ego identifications hold us back from grace, and we begin the deep work of surrender.

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5.0 (307)

Recent Reviews

Agnes

December 21, 2025

Very satisfactory and fulfilling! Julie, thank you so much for sharing with us you’re lifelong learning experiences that’s you’ve so thoughtfully, skillfully and wisely intertwined in this course to give us the inspiration & courage to develop and become to be our highest spiritual beings. Namaste 🙏💖🕊️

Daniel

December 18, 2025

Lovely! Thank you so much, Julie. I will come back to this course because there is so much here that I'm sure I didn't catch everything on the first pass.

Joeji

December 16, 2025

Brilliant.

Paula

August 31, 2025

Wonderful course. Thanks Julie.

Michelle

August 8, 2025

Lovely words. Elegant teachings. So clear and lovingly presented were the lessons. They were easy to understand and so relevant and relatable. Your warm and clear voice is a delight to listen to as well. Thank you so much for these teachings. I plan to listen to them repeatedly. I am so grateful for this course! I also bought Adele's book, I wish you would write one, too. Namaste. 🙏

Cees

July 23, 2025

In my 15+ years of meditation with InsightTimer, this was one of the nicest courses I followed. And that, although the yamas and niyamas weren’t even new to me. The explanations were so lovingly, clear and so in ‘every day live’ terms. Also the examples out of the teacher’s personal life were very informative and illustrative. Yep, this was a real high ✨

Ranganathan

January 30, 2025

It offered a view slightly different and many times tangential to traditional interpretations

Lucy

November 15, 2024

Excellent!

shekhar

October 10, 2024

Thanks for reminding how simple changes in life can work wonders. Jai Meher Baba

Suzy

October 5, 2024

Simple and beautiful!

Deann

October 3, 2024

So much great information and important lessons in this course.

Fiona

September 22, 2024

This course was excellent from start to finish. I am sure I will return to this often- so helpful- thanks 🙏

Karla

September 11, 2024

I enjoyed this course so much! Beautiful and insightful. The type of course that I would like to listen again and again. Thank you!

Linda

July 23, 2024

Excellent! Clear and accessible. Thank you.

Lisa

June 18, 2024

I loved this course so much, all of the lessons were such good reminders of how to live a content and present life . Small things with big impact. Thank you!

Heike

June 10, 2024

Wonderful course that combines the theoretical part with day to day life and action. I loved it! Thank you so much 😊 love, Heike

lisa

May 7, 2024

Excellent

Karenmk

February 28, 2024

Thank you Julie for this wonderful, thoughtful course fulled with wisdom, quotes, and your personal experiences. I enjoyed each lesson listening to your soothing voice. I will return to the lessons as each had much to offer to live a life of awareness, kindness, and general well being. Thank you for sharing your sweet energy and knowledge in creating such a warm and loving course. 🙏❤️🪷🌼

Tommy

February 13, 2024

Beautiful

Don

February 4, 2024

Thank you. I feel quietly calm and confident after spending this time with your course. At 70 years of age and years of practice you are proof the learning never stops.

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